News

Organiser Assaulted – Police Called In

A Sydney builder faces criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a building union official after he attempted to speak to workers on site this week.

CFMEU southern organiser Joe Brcic was the victim of the attack last Monday, when he visited the Engadine site of JCS Developments in response to an anonymous complaint about sub-standard safety.

Speaking to Labor Council delegates, Brcic recounted how company director John Curtis had verbally abused him and then drove a car at him, pinning him to a wall.

Following the attack workers placed a picket on the site that was later lifted when the matter was brought before the Industrial Relations Commission.

A complaint has also been lodged with the police. Brcic said Curtis is refusing to cooperate with inquiries but he is expected to be summonsed to face charges.

Brcic is facing a counter summons for assault at the instigation of JCS Development over a separate and earlier incident in March. Ferguson says he's confident that Brcic will be cleared.

Brcic - who is expecting a child within days - says the attack follows several attempts to enter the site to speak to workers. This includes being refused access to brief workers during the recent WorkCover campaign.

Not the First Time

CFMEU state secretary Andrew Ferguson says it is not the first run-in the union has had with JCS Developments.

HE says the assault follows an assault last year on CFMEU official David Kelly who was head-butted on a different site of the same builder, and a separate assault on OHS coordinator Brian Miller.

Ferguson says there is widespread non-compliance on the sites with statutory requirements such as payroll tax, group tax, workers compensation and superanuation. There are also concerns about site safety and breaches of environmental laws.

"The safety on the sites is sub-standard and represents a serious threat to the health and safety of not just the workforce but also the members of the public."